what do ye think of this mix

amacca

what do ye think of the below mix for supplementing light weanlings on ad-lib middling silage......would like them to be in good nick on turn out next spring, wont be pumping them, just a moderate amount per head

per 1000kg

400kg Barley

50Kg Maize

35kg Flaked Maize

100kg Beet Pulp Nuts

80 Kg Soya Hulls

90 Kg Distillers

160 Kg Gluten

60 Kg Molasses

25 Kg Minerals

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058219052/what-do-ye-think-of-this-mix

Looks low in protein for growing animal, what protein is the supplier claiming for the ration. going by your description, your middling silage is probably low in protein too

How much per head are you going to give them,

That'd be my impression but it's a long time since I was feeding cattle

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118203426#Comment_118203426

Yea Id expect to be going 150 kg of distillers to 400 kg of barley, to up the protein.

epfff

Why so much molasses?

amacca

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118203426#Comment_118203426

About 1kg per head rising to a max of 2 was the plan. I just want them ticking over really

Silage 1st cut late in the year (for a variety of reasons (was around 9-10 days into June off the top of my head )...it wasnt too stemmy or anything and a nice tight well preserved bale but grass quality not as good as it could be. Without testing I can't be sure but not as nice as previous years to my eye and nose. (Must get testing again)

amacca

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118203733#Comment_118203733

Not a bulls notion

If normally do dairy x and it's minerals, silage and live horse and get grass.

I wouldn't normally do much meal/ration feeding over the winter margins on that being so poor but think these lads could do with it ....without having them steaming.

I suspect the molasses is purely to make it more palatable and ensure they Hoover it up so the buyer thinks it's great stuff as sure the cattle love it? Make it less dusty? Better distribution of powdered minerals as they are stuck to things and not all trickling to the bottom of a load of the stuff?

Cavanjack

How much is it and what protein % is it?

orm0nd

Haven't time to run through the calculator but you need to get rid of some of that gluten and replace with soya meal.

A good weanling ration is only dear the day you buy it, a bad one is dear for the animals lifespan.

Depends on the quality of forage available though.

cute geoge

I can get rolled barley straight and soya also and mix 6 part barley to 1 part soya .is there anything else I could add to make it more palatable

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118204619#Comment_118204619

If they're only getting 2kg/day, palatability isn't going to be an issue, they'll sweep it up

it's only an issue if you're going over 5kg /day.

Always use minerals as well, especially in young cattle

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118204619#Comment_118204619

Few soya hulls would be palatable and a useful filler and fibre but maybe to course to mix.

Any cheap mollassed based bag ration mixed might bring up the palatabley a bit more.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058219052/what-do-ye-think-of-this-mix

Teagasc did research last year on feeding winter rations. Two things it showed if you had fairly good silage 70+DMD there was very little advantage in feeding ration.

The second thing that it checked for was protein it found no difference in these stock no matter what level of P were fed

The ration above is excellent IMO P is about 14-16%. If I had my choice I lose the beet pulp and the hulls and replace them with barley or maize. They will have plenty fibre from the silage and you are only feeding 1-2kg. If you are only feeding 1kg give them another 30-40grams of minerals along the top of the ration.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118208222#Comment_118208222

I wouldn't agree especially if only feeding 1 - 2kgs for 3mths of the winter, I'd be feeding them to get protein into them during the winter. I'd recommend 15% P ration for growing cattle

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118208450#Comment_118208450

That ration is around that from what I can see. However feeding 1kg makes little difference to overall P of diet unless P is well above 20%.

I be more worried about quality of product in the ration. There are no fillers in the ration. A difference of 3% protein in a ration is about a different of half a percentage in the overall diet at a kg/head or 1% at 2kgs/head and that is for 300kg cattle, if they are heavier the difference is less

If I want cattle to grow during the winter I feed them 40-60grams of calcium flour. Right amount minerals are ad important as P. With June silage if the flower/seed are digestible then the P in the feed will be there anyways and energy will be as important as feed. DM of silage is important as well

Cavanjack

I think Teagasc are too worried about getting weight on cattle over the winter but then they seem to struggle to get weight on cattle the second summer.

How much minerals do you feed your stores over the winter bass? What would 500kg stores want per day?

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118208681#Comment_118208681

20grams/100kgs subject to a max of 100grams if over 500kgs is the recommendation. I consider that there is probably so e level I. The sage anyway. I generally go about 15 grams/ 100kgs. I do not get overly caught up on exact amount. I feed calcium flour at about 40-50grams/head and 40-50 grams of salt/head as well.

It costs about 8c/head/day. However I give them a break after about 8weeks for 10-12days and restart again until turnout.